A Rebellion in Hoenn
by havel
Summary: Remmy is in the midst of a rebellion against Hoenn's government. He and his team need to bring down their leaders and it isn't without risk. Death is an ever present possibility and their enemies don't play nice. A gijinka wonderlocke of Omega Ruby.
1. Prologue

The man lay sprawled out on a broken down armchair, picking at bits of chair fluff that poked out from a hole. It was dark in the room; the kind of dark that made your mind silent. The kind of dark that made people look in the corners of their eyes to check for monsters. The man was too far away at the moment to be scared. Drifting on the edges of drunkeness, a haze settled in his head. It was evident what he had been up to by the smell and empty bottles by his chair, though the smell wasn't that offensive compared to the stench of rot and wet the room gave off.

There was silence for a very long time, as the green haired man seemed to contemplate over the discolored chair fluff he had been pulling out at a steady rate. It had no purpose anymore, just keeping a molding chair ready for people who would never sit in it again. It was a sad chair really.  
Faintly, as the man gazed at the steadily sagging arm rest, he registered a noise. It was annoying, resisting his attempts to drone it out and suddenly painfully loud in his head. He unceremoniously batted at the shape in front of him, as if waving away a fly before something grabbed his wrist tightly, jolting his eyes open all the way.

He didn't feel so good anymore, looking at the face in front of him. It made him think of what a failure he had been today. It made him think of children on the ground bleeding and gasping for air. The face moved, eyes closing and unclosing, mouth opening up to let sounds out. There was a name at the tip of his tongue but his mouth couldn't reach it. (or maybe that was his brain? He didn't remember which was right.)  
It wasn't important right now, he supposed. Just a name to the face in front of him that was poking at him and making loud violent noises. With a sigh the man turned over to go to sleep ignoring the other person in the room beside his chair.


	2. Chapter 1

Remmy whined at the sun on the face, shrinking back from its rays. He would rather be asleep right now but Trish had dragged him up out of his cozy sleeping place and outside. It had been a few days since they had found the place in littleroot, and several had passed since he had his little 'tantrum' and moped over a few bottles of alcohol. He wasn't very proud about that if he were being honest but he hadn't been okay at the time. His failure had resulted in the deaths of dozens of innocent children after all. That was the downside of his job, he supposed, and now he and Trish were trekking out into the wilderness to find their new informant. The aforementioned shroomish was trudging along through the waist-high grass grumpily, his blonde-ish hair whipping about with each step.  
With a large grin on his face, Remmy ran up to Trish.

"Is the presence of a mighty dragon like me makin' you angry?"

"As if. You're just an axew with no dragon moves." Trish joked back. He looked a little less intent on destroying the grass now at least.

"I do admit that's a bit of a problem."

Remmy seemed to think about this very seriously for a moment, before turning back to Trish and opening up his mouth to make a teasing reply. He never got the chance to make his witty comment though, and before he knew it they were racing towards an agonizing scream that grew ever louder the closer they got. Trish was ahead of him, the quicker to respond of the two. Neither of them really thought about stuff before they leapt into it, he supposed. Maybe it was a good thing though, seeing as their informant was currently under attack from an immensely large, muscular poochyena.

Their head whipped around, a snarl seeming to emit from their throat that sent shivers down Remmy's spine. Trish at least had had the sensibility to pause and size up his enemy but Remmy, despite the warning snarl, plummeted straight into the large poochyena sending them both tumbling to the ground. He was quick to scramble off of the large man, his eyes wide at the exhilarating sensation that came with battling. His attempt at standing up met his face with the ground, and a glance back at the poochyena could see that his ankle was being slowly crushed in their grip.  
Hands clenched together, he rolled back aiming for their face, fists swinging wildly finding the man's throat and shoulder, driving weakly in. Remmy at least had succeeded in cutting off some of the man's air, though this in turn was met with a harsh punch to the face. Despite the left side of his face crying out in pain, his ankle throbbing in the poochyena's grip, he fought back, numbly aware of the punches that met him, and the scratches and fists he dealt back.

He was lost, in the fighting and the dull pain and the panicked struggle to be the one who made it out alive. He almost didn't notice Trish joining in and pulling him away from the bruised mass of flesh he had been fighting with. There was another man there now, large and squishy, with a beard hanging on his face. His arm was bloody but he seemed more preoccupied in Remmy. Remmy was becoming more and more aware of his surroundings now, and the building pain all over his body. He was breathing quicker now, aware of every little scrape on his body, and the intensity of his pain.

Trish was concerned, pacing back and forth by the bushes while the bearded man looked over Remmy. (Really one of them ought to learn how to treat themselves rather than relying on allies and members of their group.) The bearded man, Remmy learned, was called Birch. Trish seemed to know this already, and at the command of the now-named man, Remmy was lifted up into a piggy back ride. He was too tired to really care about a piggy back ride being undignified, or the fact that they were not heading into their little hiding spot they had found (something about the mold being being bad for an injured person, and wanting to give him a proper examination at the lab.) Birch, he soon found out, was a professor and despite his ties to their government he was an important ally for Remmy. He also had a plethora of machines both for science and for healing anybody who needed it.

Birch was the most important man in the town of littleroot, and he and Trish both had their hands full caring for Remmy, making sure somebody was going to pick up the poochyena, and talking about funding and government plans. Really Remmy found all that boring despite being one of the leaders of his little anti-government group. He had always been more into fighting anyways. And sleeping. It was relaxing, laying down in this comfy spot, in far less pain than before. He was going to have some nasty bruises by the way his face had felt earlier, and he did not look forward to that. Right now though, he was exhausted both physically and mentally. A hot bath in the morning sounded like heaven right now, and god knows that would soothing on his sore body. He was only just aware that that Birch and Trish were devouring a large pizza but he was too tired to feel hungry.


	3. Chapter 2

Remmy's face looked like a bunch of angry bees had taken offense to it. It wasn't even fully distinguishable as a face anymore, but they were still heading out now that they had rested seeing as his injuries mostly consisted of bruises. He had a big scarf covering part of his face despite the heat and a floppy hat on the top that hung down. It wasn't like Remmy minded showing off his battle wounds, but it would attract unneeded attention to him and Trish.

Oldale was a small town which meant there were far less people to blend in with. (Though it also meant there was less authority around.) Remmy liked the peace and quiet and the tight community people often formed in smaller towns. Despite the fact that they were riskier, he preferred smaller places over large overpopulated cities.  
He wouldn't have minded living in Oldale if things had been different.  
Trish on the other hand seemed to prefer larger places and crowds. He seemed highly uncomfortable being unable to blend in with other people, and this contributed to agitating him, and making him grumble at every little thing. The two had meant to join up with two other members at Oldale but they had seemingly vanished from the small town. Every citizen they had asked couldn't recall seeing either of them and Trish looked about to throw a tantrum right where he stood. It couldn't be good for him, getting so agitated often.

The next lady they stopped seemed to recall seeing a strange pudgy man and a teen heading out to the little path above Oldale. It was a nice little spot with pretty flowers and a little pond that residents of Oldale often visited for a relaxing picnic or a nap in the grass.  
"You outsiders ought to visit there seein' as there ain't much 'round here to see." The woman shifted her bag of groceries, resting it against her rounded belly before pointing with her now freed hand in the general direction of the path. Trish thanked the woman somewhat enthusiastically, before practically skipping off towards the way she had pointed, leaving Remmy to catch up, sore muscles protesting against any fast movements.

They had spent a good fifteen minutes walking along the flat trail, a few trees scattered sparsely around in the grass around it. The sky above was dulled and faintly orange as it grew later, and their legs pressed onwards. The path lead off to an open clearing, grass shorter and sometimes covered by moss instead. There were a few larger rocks and a tree stump to sit on and hundreds of flowers scattered around the place, taller ones poking out where the grass grew longer. There were also two figures standing in the clearing beside a pool of water, the smaller of the two wiggling their fingers in it with a bored expression.  
Trish was the first to step up and clear his throat, startling the larger man.  
"O-oh, Trish! It's been some time hasn't it?" Awkwardly, he stood up brushing his pants off and extending a hand out towards the blonde.  
"I thought we were meant to meet up in Oldale, Benedict." Trish said, ignoring the handshake that had been offered to him.  
Benedict ducked his head, fiddling with the pearl-like orbs on the ends of his hoody's strings.  
"We got bored waiting, and some person told us there was a cool place this way. Just some more nature really though." This time it was the smaller of the two-a young whismur-who spoke.  
"you don't have to put it like that."  
Benedict mumbled into his jacket, looking anywhere but at Trish. Remmy wondered if the man was really fit for this kind of job. He didn't seem good under pressure, and he was overweight so he probably had less mobility and stamina. Maybe he would prove Remmy wrong though. He wasn't one to deny somebody a chance based on first impressions alone.

Benedict was still mumbling to Trish who looked less then pleased with the situation at the moment, and the smaller boy (Digit, he remembered. He had met them at one point) was just watching the two boredly. Digit had to be one of the youngest members but his skills with technology were  
Incredible, and far beyond what Remmy could comprehend.  
The boy was skilled, and though his reasons for joining up with them at such a young age were unspoken of, nobody minded much. Half of them kept to themselves anyways, their history a secret from curious people.  
Digit sat there crouched, the ever-present bored look on his face. He wasn't an expressive person, and preferred watching people rather then socializing.  
Remmy didn't know if the teen was just annoyed by interacting with other people, or if he didn't know how to properly do so and closed himself up instead. Either way he wasn't a bad kid. Despite not knowing him well Remmy could say that with confidence. (Which was more then he could say for Benedict. He had never even seen the guy before, though Trish undoubtedly had.)

Eventually, Trish finished scolding Benedict and Digit, and the four were headed back to Rustboro together, Trish rushing ahead (he had always been an expressive walker and this was no exception) while the others hung back, Remmy tired from the long day and in pain.  
Trish yelped all of a sudden, leaping backwards as a dark shape tumbled out of the bushes in front of them skidding to stop. A young girl lay there on her back, out of breath and sweating heavily, elbows scraped up from the ground.  
Her brown hair had come loose, and as she sat up it hung down, her hair piece left laying on the ground. She seemed surprised at first to see the group, then her eyes widened into what Remmy could only describe as joy.

"You're those rebel guys my dad was talking about aren't you? I know I'm not really supposed to know, he doesn't tell me much but I'm smart and I saw you talking to him earlier and it had to have been you guys because you look like cool fighters." The girl paused for a moment, out of breath from her rambling.  
"I'm May by the way. Oh, and uh, dad is Professor Birch."  
Trish seemed highly annoyed by the enthusiastic girl, who's eyes were practically sparkling as she glanced around at all of them.  
"Oh and uh, in case you were wondering this isn't my natural hair color. I'm a treecko but I dye it brown like my dad's hair, plus that way nobody can know what I am."  
She gave her a hair a little flip with her hand as if she show that it was indeed brown, before finally noticing the lack of a hair tie and turning around to look for it.  
Trish let a strange noise from the back of his throat and then swiftly began to walk away while May was distracted. Remmy decided he must not like fan girls very much.

Remmy was soon escorted back to town by May who had messily redone her hair as fast as she could. She blabbered constantly, sneaking glances at Remmy and Digit when she thought they weren't looking. Digit at least had the decency to give a wave from time to time. Kid probably didn't know how to smile properly, his smiling muscles being so unused.  
May gave them a whole tour of the place before leading them to a nice hotel run by a local couple. She had, apparently, stayed there before and the couple didn't ask questions about the odd group or charge them extra (in fact May had gotten them some sort of deal due to her knowing the people.)  
"They're rebel supporters," May whispered to them on her way out. That concerned Remmy a little bit and he hoped she hadn't said anything to them no matter how good her intentions were.  
He almost wondered if they should find a new hotel, but it was nice here and they served breakfast and lunch for their guests. There probably wasn't any other hotels anyways in such a small place.

Their room comprised of two bunk beds, a desk and bathroom and an old tv with some VHS tapes. Digit was shifting through them at the moment, setting up some sort of movie marathon of the good ones. Remmy recognized a few of them, and opted that they have some popcorn and soda with the movies, to which Benedict and Digit quickly agreed. Trish steadfastly refused to take part in 'juvenile sleepover things' settling into one of the beds with a book on battle techniques and strategies. (Though he quickly abandoned said book when the movies began.)  
Digit was completely engaged in the movies, despite the usual look on his face, Benedict devouring his share of the popcorn and Remmy shoving kernels into his mouth half asleep, a bottle of open soda in his left hand.  
Really it was a nice break from it all. A way to relax and take your mind off things for a few hours.  
Remmy always did love a good movie.


	4. Chapter 3

They had spent two more days in Rustboro resting up and relaxing. The next city, Petalburg, had a high ranked government official that they weren't prepared to deal with at the moment. They needed to pass through the town as fast as they could and so they had had to rest up and make some plans. Now that they were just outside of the city there was a feeling of dread that seemed to hang over them like a warning bell. Remmy was silent like everybody else, whispers of a thought passing through his head.

Even though he was involved in such dangerous activities Remmy still got scared. He supposed that everybody got scared sometime but he was not supposed to be scared. He wasn't supposed to let the other team mates see that fear so he hid it. He was a leader after all, even if he shared leadership of their team with Trish, and even if they weren't the only leaders in the whole group. A leader had to be brave, and so Remmy was the first one to step forward. To show his team mates that it was safe.

The others followed quickly behind him, and the four walked on resisting any urges to glance behind their shoulder or fidget. Anybody who looked at the little group would not have guessed that they were rebels daring to pass through a town under the direct control of the government. Such a notion wouldn't even come to cross their minds because really, who would be stupid enough to do so?

Norman was tired. Tired of fighting people and arresting people and patrolling the town. He was not necessarily a bad man, despite who he worked for. But that didn't mean that he didn't do his job. Oh he did it well, and he enjoyed it at times when it became interesting. But he was still tired. He was strong, and very few were able to hold their own against him. It was just so boring not having a challenge. Even when new inexperienced kids that had joined the military came to challenge him he was bored. They never gave him an interesting battle. More then anything he longed for an entertaining fight. One where he truly was in danger.

No, instead he had to deal with a family that had refused to pay for the medical care of their child. He had arrested the nurse who had allowed them to do so easily. She was small and weak and scared and she hadn't tried to fight back. She was quite eager to betray them now that she was in jail, and had supplied him with personal documents on the family. Their house was very close to where he resided so it was a just a short walk before he was there in front of their door, readying himself to burst it open.  
Norman felt people were stupid, getting arrested for the sake of one sick child. He himself knew that children were frail and weak and easily perishable.  
But you wouldn't see him getting into so much trouble over one child. Not Norman.

Remmy lay beneath an assortment of bushes, a smaller ghostly-pale boy beside him. From the bottom of the bushes they could see legs racing past in search of the green haired refugee. (Remmy was not the aforementioned green haired person, but rather the child hiding beside him.)  
Said child was breathing unevenly and it seemed to take a great deal of effort for him to do so. His breathing worsened each time somebody ran by, and the boy was practically drenched in sweat and shivering violently. Remmy couldn't stop himself from being concerned over the frail child beside him.

For some time nobody passed by the bushes until a particular pair of legs paused in their walking, bending down in front of them. Remmy's chest felt like his heart had exploded into dozens of tiny panicking horses. He was suddenly very very aware of every little movement and noise he and the boy made as the owner of the legs lowered their body to look under the bushes.

Remmy paused his attempt to attack the person in front of him, visibly relaxing at the sight of a familiar face.  
"You should thank the gods that was you Trish 'else you woulda got your nose smashed in."  
Trish rolled his eyes at this and extended a hand to pull Remmy out from under the bushes.  
"So who's the kid?" Trish crossed his arms as if they had all day to answer questions.  
The smaller boy opened his mouth as if to speak then closed it, looking at the ground for several moments.  
"Mm Wally."  
Trish grinned then leaned in close to the two with a smirk.  
"Well Wally, whatever were you doing to get those scary government officials to chase after you?"  
Wally looked scared for a moment before his expression softened into something sadder.  
"I, uh-I was sick and mum couldn't pay. The nurse was s'posed to let us go and it was gonna be okay and now it isn't n mum and da are probably gone now and I just ran away and-" Remmy cut the boy off with a little ruffle of his hair, kneeling down to speak eye to eye with him.  
"Hey look, you didn't do nothing wrong. There's just some bad people in this world. Okay?"

Trish looked like he wanted to tease Remmy (who admittedly wasn't the best motivational speaker in the world) but he kept quiet for now at least. Trish was mature enough to refrain from commenting on something when he needed to. It didn't stop him from pointing out that Remmy had lost his ridiculous hat underneath the bushes when Wally had calmed down. Nor did it stop him from teasing Remmy about said hat.

The two became increasingly calmer as they walked somewhere towards the exit of petalburg, until Wally let out a strange strangled squeaking noise causing them to whirl around towards him. There was a large bulking man about to turn their way and notice them, and by the looks of it he seemed to have a government pin on his outfit.  
"We need to get out of here _now_." Trish looked very scared at the moment. More scared then he normally would when facing government personnel.  
"I just remembered I can teleport."  
Both Trish and Remmy turned around to look at Wally (because really, that would have been useful to know ahead of time) before grabbing onto him desperately, Wally then teleporting the three away in a blurring spinning mess of colors.


	5. Chapter 4

He was going to be sick. Teleportation, Remmy decided, was something he was _not_ going to do again if he could help it. It was the ultimate form of travel sickness wrapped up into seconds of travel time.  
"Can't get a signal with all these god damn trees around."  
Trish sighed, turning swiftly towards Wally.  
"Where the _hell_ are we anyways?"  
"I think the petalburg woods. We aren't near the entrance though." Wally mumbled almost inaudibly, his hands fiddling with the bottom of his shirt.  
"That's just _great_. Lost in the middle of the freaking woods because _somebody_ couldn't control their teleportation. Can't rely on da-"  
"Would'ya just shuddup?" Remmy whined, stopping to dry heave for a moment.  
"You okay?"  
There were hands on his back, patting it soothingly, in an ineffective attempt to drive away his nausea.  
"Feel like mm gonna vomit."  
"I can see that."

The hands were on his shoulders now, settling him in against a tree with some help. According to Trish they had nothing to combat nausea (which Remmy would have complained about if he had been feeling better at the time.)  
Trish left shortly after, leaving a very anxious Wally to stay behind with Remmy. Exploring the area, he'd called it. Trying to find some kind of a trail or sign of civilization so they could locate themselves somewhere they wouldn't be lost.  
There was also the matter of contacting Digit and Benedict and letting them know where they'd disappeared to. The sooner they could get out of the woods, the sooner they could all group back together.

They were quiet for some time, sitting among the tall trees. The forest too was silent; almost empty though not in a frightening way. Wally was visibly nervous. (Remmy couldn't think of a moment he had seen Wally _not_ be nervous, actually.)  
Remmy was feeling considerably better by the time an hour had passed since Trish had left.  
Well enough to talk at least. His throat felt a bit dry so he took a sip from the water bottle Trish had given him, turning his head in Wally's direction.  
He wondered how old he really was-he looked to be  
around twelve. Just a kid.

"You're still in your pajamas."  
"Didn't have time to change." Wally looked immensely sad at that moment and Remmy almost wished he hadn't said anything.  
"Do you think I'll ever see them again?" His voice was so so painfully quiet it _hurt_. He paused, waiting for Remmy to respond then continued when he didn't.  
"Mum and da I mean. They've probably been caught by now, because of me."  
Wally let out a choked laugh.  
"You know what they do to people they catch? Because I don't but I have an idea and if I'm right I'm never going to see them again."  
Remmy knew. _God_ he knew.

Half the time he hated the world. Hated people for what they did. It was so unbelievably cruel, this world, and he couldn't stand it but he had to. There were times he felt like curling up into a little ball and hiding far away from everything. But he had to go out and do his job. Had to fight monsters that called themselves people.  
Wally was still talking, staring in the direction of the sky as if it could answer all his questions. He didn't seem disappointed when Remmy didn't respond. No, he almost seemed as if he expected it. Didn't bother waiting for a reply; just kept talking and talking and staring up where the sky would be. Wally eventually stopped talking at some point. (Remmy wasn't really sure when. Hadn't been properly listening.)

They were quiet the rest of the time until Trish came back, irritated dirty and still as lost as he had been before. The blonde had promptly plopped himself down beside Remmy, grabbed a granola bar and refused to move for an entire hour.  
"So I was thinking, what if we head in the opposite direction?" Trish paused to take another bite of his sandwich.  
"It makes sense to head the way that we _didn't_ go yet, and we don't really know which way is which anyways."  
Remmy nodded in agreement, mouth too full of sandwich to speak.  
"So say, maybe ten minutes? Give us enough time to finish our lunch and pack the rest up safely."  
Wally mumbled something inaudible, staring at his portion of lunch held in his pale bony hands.

Remmy hadn't really noticed it before but Wally was so incredibly skinny. He supposed he had been preoccupied by hiding and running and being nauseous and thinking but now that he noticed it the kid really did look sick.  
His skin was so pale it was concerning, his eyes had heavy bags and a bit of red rimming them. He didn't seem to have any muscle or much weight to him, and even his hair didn't look too healthy. (Not to mention the wheezing and breathing problems when Wally got worked up. That freaked Remmy out each time.)  
"D'you think you could take me to my uncle?"  
Trish startled, turning his head towards the boy.  
"Where does he live?"  
This time it was Remmy who spoke, stretching as he did so.  
"Verdanturf."  
"Okay. I'll see what I can do. I'm not makin' any promises though ya got that?"  
Wally smiled a little, probably at the thought of being with family again. Something the kid desperately deserved.  
Like they had decided on, fifteen minutes later the three were up searching for a way out of the forest.


	6. Chapter 5

Remmy was fighting off plants persistently clinging to his skin. His bare legs and arms were steadily getting scratched up from their thorns as he ineffectively struggled against them. (And he was never going to wear a tank top in the forest again because there were bugs and thorny plants and bushes and trees and that just meant _more_ wounds to add to his plethora of healing ones.)  
Trish and Wally were off to the side-Trish watching the whole ordeal amusedly-because they had been smart enough to _not_ walk into a mess of thorny plants.  
Remmy had not been so lucky.

"You need some help there?" Trish grinned at Remmy from where he stood safely out of reach.  
" _No._ "  
That was a lie. Very very much a lie.  
"Look, I can get myself out on my own so jus' sit down somewhere or somethin'."  
"Okay. Suit yourself." Trish raised his hands up, smirking as he plopped down on a nearby stump.  
Remmy resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at the smug looking shroomish (because really, that would be childish and he was certainly more mature then that.)  
It took him several minutes before he managed to escape the grasp of the thorned plants with a bounty of bleeding scratches as a reward. Wally raced over to his side almost immediately, a box of bandages in his hand. Trish on the other hand, didn't look concerned at all. He and Remmy both knew they'd been through worse then this; been far more injured then what was gained from fighting a plant.  
But Wally was just a kid, focused on the injuries at hand, intent on fixing up a grown man with band aids.

"Ya'know I don't need any o' that kid," Remmy grumbled as Wally plastered on the thirteenth bandage. He didn't make any attempts to escape the bandage's grasps though.  
He was more preoccupied by how Wally's hand looked ghostly compared to his darker skin, and he knew that it was because Wally was sick because Trish and everybody else he knew wasn't so pale compared to him.  
Remmy turned his head away, looked at Trish with a glare, motioning for him to come over.  
"What do you want?"  
"Jus get your butt over here." Remmy scowled at Trish, staring at the man until he relented, getting off the stump.  
"Hold on." Trish's voice was at a whisper.  
Turning silently, he looked in one direction, then the other, pirouetting on his toes.  
"I thought-" Trish trailed off, staring straight into the woods. (And anything could be in the woods, Remmy thought. His mind turned to morbid thoughts and he quited it.)  
And then Remmy saw it too. A blur in the woods moving fast and they are off, him and Trish.  
Wally left behind for the moment, but they didn't seem to care. It was a person, Remmy realized as they grew closer, slowing down as they did. They were cloaked in red, black horns poking out from the top of their hoodie as dark as their hair. They stood there for several minutes, hands in their pockets, feet kicking at the ground beneath them.  
"What's with 'im?" Remmy whispered, glancing at Trish.  
Trish shrugged, turning his attention back to the hooded figure as the sound of someone moving in the forest reached their ears.

Moments later a man in a dirtied lab coat stumbled into the little clearing, a bag slung over his shoulder.  
The hooded person stepped forward, a smile forming on their face.  
"Well now, look at that. It's a poor lost little Devon employee."  
They paused, as if amused by their comment before grabbing the man by his arm and pulling him close.  
"I'll be needing your bag now, so why don't you just hand it over all easy peasy. No need for us to fight, eh?"  
Remmy readied himself to leap up and help the terrified man and was pulled back harshly to the ground, an unfamiliar face coming into view.  
"Wh-" His yell was cut off sharply by a gloved hand, keeping him silent for several minutes. He couldn't see Trish anywhere-and gods did he hope something hadn't happened. He focused his attention away from the sounds coming past the bushes, and onto the face in front of him. Long purpley hair tied back and eyes like he'd never seen before accompanied by heavy bags. (And those eyes were hypnotizing purple framed by blue, and pale yellow pupils and dear gods it was intriguing.)  
The man slowly released his hand, ready to clamp it back over Remmy's mouth if he tried to shout again.  
"What're you doing here?"  
"I, uh-" Remmy paused for a moment, to gesture awkwardly with his hands.  
"I'm a ninja."  
"A ninja?" The man crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow at him.  
"Well, technically I'm not a ninja _yet._ Remmy Gonzalo, undercover reporter." He raised up a hand for the man to shake.  
"Chris." The man took his hand, pulling him up into a sitting position in the process.  
"So Mr. Ninja-reporter, whatever are you doing all the way out here?"  
"I-"

A muffled yell sounded from across the bushes, a feminine 'gotcha' following shortly after. The two paused, staring intently at the bushes, before Chris stood up, peeking into the clearing. He let out a little chuckle, waved at somebody Remmy couldn't see from his position, then pushed his way through the foliage, his purple shawl snagging on the way.  
Remmy followed him shortly, walking into a now rather full clearing. The red hooded person was out cold, pushed out of the way nearby a tree, the Devon employee shaking the hand of a stranger so hard it looked as if he would tear her arm off. The tall woman was smiling at the man and conversing with Chris at the same time, her long silky black hair surprisingly unmessy for someone who had apparently been fighting moments earlier. Her black and yellow striped sweater was less clean, with dirt and a bit of plant clinging to the back and elbows. Trish was sitting against a stump, a large bruise forming on his face though he didn't look upset about it. Nobody really noticed Remmy-too preoccupied with other things he supposed-so he strolled into the clearing, making his way towards Trish.

"I assume you two know each other?"  
Remmy startled at the sudden, lightly accented voice, turning around to face the woman.  
"Name's Hiroko. Me and Chris here work as a team for the same place as your friend-and I'm assuming you do as well, correct?"  
"Yeah. Yeah, he does." Trish was the one who spoke first, wincing a little because of his bruise.  
"By the way, do you think you could help us get out of here?" He paused, lowered his voice and looked away from Hiroko's face.  
"We're kind of lost."  
She laughed, wiped her eye with a wide grin on her face and patted Trish on the head.  
"Of course, my little mushroom."  
" _Don't_ call me that." Trish scowled, crossing his arms and moving his head away from her hand.  
"I'm just teasing you. Can't expect me to just pass up a good opportunity to do so." Hiroko seated herself on the stump staring down at Trish and Remmy.  
"And this is why we broke up." Trish groaned, running his hands over his face.  
"I thought it was because you were too rigid."  
"Well whatever. It doesn't matter."  
Remmy stared at the two confused, before opening his mouth.  
"You two dated?"  
"Oh yeah. It didn't work out though. You know, not the best job for keeping romance. I think we weren't romantically compatible either." Hiroko grinned amusedly, leaning forward on the stump.  
"But Trish never dates." Remmy whispered dumbfoundedly.  
"Things happen. It's old stuff anyways." Trish put a hand on Remmy's shoulder.  
"It's kind of like gambling."  
"Really?" Hiroko muttered unamused.  
"You could have come up with something better then that you know."  
"Oh shut up." Trish whined, raising his head back to stare up at the beedrill. She in turn, stuck her tongue out at him.  
"Wally." Remmy bolted upright, suddenly remembering that they had ran off leaving a sickly probably terrified child behind. The little group quickly followed him, hooded person left forgotten beside a tree.


	7. Chapter 6

Rustboro city was the kind of city that Remmy liked, big and crowded and industrialized. Trish had managed to get ahold of their other two teammates once they'd gotten out of the woods, and arranged to meet up near the Rustboro gates once being notified of their arrival.  
They were, currently, walking through the city, past the many people that inhabited Rustboro heading off to work or school or walking back home.  
Remmy had noticed that a lot of the architecture was made from stone, even down to the ground beneath his feet. Vaguely, he wondered if this was the influence of Roxanne or if it had always been this way from when the city had first been created.

He glanced at Wally, who was wearing a hoody borrowed from Remmy's backpack that was far far too big for the kid and a pair of large faux glasses on his face. They'd had to do something because Norman could have alerted people like Roxanne to keep an eye out for him. So they were stowing him away in Hiroko's apartment for the moment, while the rest of the group headed up to the base.  
Didn't matter if they trusted the kid or not; it wasn't a good idea for Wally to know the location of the place or their 'sponsors.'  
Hiroko and Chris lived in the city apparently, sticking to tasks nearby unlike Remmy and the rest of his team who didn't really live anywhere. He'd been to various places in hoenn and he would probably continue to do so as long as he lived. He'd worked with people before Trish just as Trish had done the same, and he would probably work with other people in the future as well. He didn't expect he would ever fall into a future that other people thought normal; falling in love, maybe raising a family and having other couples over for dinner. That kind of thing wasn't plausible with what he did. Sure some people did it, though more often then not they were the ones who remained in the same place. He didn't mind much though if he was being honest. Was okay with it really, because if he did his job right he could save lives. Stop horrible people from doing horrible things.

"Hey daydreamer." Hiroko's voice cut in as she poked him in the cheek, a little grin on her face.  
"What?"  
"We're here, so unless you just want to wait in the streets I suggest you come in." She pushed open the door as she said this, holding it open for the little group as they shuffled inside.  
Her apartment was nice, a very modern looking living room complete with fancy little end tables and white couches that Remmy flopped into contently.  
Trish gave him a little disapproving look, turning his attention back to the conversation the others were in.  
Hiroko was immersed in showing Wally around the house, telling him what rules he had to abide by, and what food there was for him to eat.  
Remmy watched as the two vanished down the hallway, before turning his attention to Chris.  
The shuppet was lounging back in a chair, comfortably relaxed as if he'd been in the building a million times, which he probably had.

His feet resting on a little coffee table, back situated against the plush armchair, Chris waved at Remmy, a little grin on his face.  
"What?"  
Chris shrugged, turning his attention to the window nearby.  
"D'you think we should go now?" Chris paused for a moment, before nodding and lazily getting out of the chair.  
Turning, he called down the hallway to let Hiroko know they were leaving, swept his hair out of his face, and headed out the door.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The seventh floor of the Devon corporation building was bustling with activity. Remmy hadn't been in the building for quite some time, and the large size of the place made you realize how big this thing was. Made you realize how bad things needed to change.  
The orange haired charmander before him, napoleon, was one of the several members of their group with leadership status, Remmy and Trish being another two. They were below Napoleon though despite the fact that he didn't work in the field. Essentially he was like their commander.  
He looked less than pleased.  
"Listen, I need to know where the _hell_ your other two members are, especially seeing as they were assigned to you just a week ago." He sighed angrily, rubbed his forehead with his hand and pointed towards the elevator.  
"Look, Mr. Stone asked me to send you two up to him, so just go. I'll just have to ask somebody to get into contact with your missing team mates, and bring them in for you since you can't seem to keep track of them."  
Before Remmy could say anything he walked off mumbling angrily, nearly bumping into a lillipup on his way.

The elevator ride was silent and half-awkward, Trish anxiously tapping his foot against the floor, Remmy silently worrying away. Stone's office was located on the very top floor-floor fifteen-and each floor closer they got the more Remmy worried. There could be any number of reasons that Stone had summoned them for. Promoting them, a tea party (not that; Stone didn't drink tea.) pulling them out of the field, demoting them, turning them into some sort of sacrifice to the government-the ding as the elevator arrived pulled Remmy out his train of thoughts, in time for him to watch nervously as the doors slid open.  
Stone was seated in his throne-like office chair behind his desk, ominously silent. For a moment, the two were frozen, until Stone gestured at the chairs in front of his desk, waiting until they were seated to begin talking.

"I have a job for you. Two really."  
Remmy almost sighed in relief, his worries quelled for now.  
Stone leaned back into his chair a bit, giving them an odd look.  
"The other two aren't with you? I thought I'd told Napoleon to send all of you."  
"We got separated from them around petalburg," Trish responded. If he was scared he wasn't showing it.  
"Ah, I see. I might have to partner you up with another group then. Somebody one of you knows well of course."  
Stone paused, sighed, then looked straight at them.  
"I need you to get something back for me first. Some important equipment was stolen from one of our employees and it is imperative that is retrieved. One of our scouts has informed us that they've entered the whismur caves and haven't exited yet."

Stone closed his eyes, sighed and resumed speaking.  
"After that I need you to go after Roxanne."  
Those words terrified Remmy, pressed down on his heart with such a weight that he felt it would be crushed.  
He'd signed up for this, he'd known what he was going to have to do, and he wanted to do it. It still terrified him to the very depths of his soul.  
"Is that what we're partnering up for?" Trish was suddenly very very quiet; almost at a whisper.  
"Yes. I'm telling you now because I want you to be prepared for this. You're aware of her activities outside of government duties, yes?"  
Remmy nodded mutely.  
"We've gotten Intel on the rings she runs. There's going to be a big day in about a week and a half and we need to infiltrate and stop her by then, before she has the chance to open up any more child smuggling rings. I'll be sending backup aside from the team I partner you up with."  
He cleared his throat.  
"Any questions?"


	8. Chapter 7

Trish had pouring over the files they'd been given non-stop since they'd gotten back to Hiroko's apartment.  
One of the folders had been passed onto Remmy quickly, containing the small amount of information about the stolen item. The description of the thief reminded Remmy of the man In the woods they'd seen. That had been a Devon employee too that was under attack, just the same as this case. The similarities made him think the two were connected, because really, two red cloaked guys attacking Devon employees in the same day couldn't be a coincidence.

"Hey Trish?"

The shroomish made a little grunt, too occupied with his papers to reply.

"What did we do with that guy in the woods?"

There was a moment of silence, even the shuffling of papers suspended within that short period of time.

"Shit."

With that, the files were set aside onto the nearest surface and Trish was off, mumbling about idiots and incompetent fools, completely ignoring any of Remmy's attempts to get him to stop.  
There was only one set of stairs from the ground to Hiroko's apartment, which meant that Trish was able to get outside very quickly, Remmy lagging behind.  
The city was less crowded this late in the day, the sun nearly gone from the sky, casting a shade of dark over everything. That wasn't to say there wasn't anybody around; there were more than enough people for Trish to bump into several of them in his hasty attempt to get towards the cave.

Several uniformed children ran past them, yelling about how they were going to be the best soldiers in the world, or chasing birds as far as they could. Tiny hands shoving each other aside as they laughed, oblivious to the world they lived in.  
Remmy forced his gaze away from them, jogging to catch up to Trish before he could slip out of view.

"Hey."

Trish nodded at him in acknowledgment, continuing to race across the stone ground in silence, apart from the dulled noises of the city, and the sounds his feet made when they connected with the ground.  
They passed by a cafe that looked like it had been around for several decades, a tantalizing scent wafting towards them as they passed by. Remmy was vaguely aware that he hadn't eaten anything since they'd left the woods, and that made the cafe all the more tempting.  
Trish wasn't going to stop though, and so he turned from the cafe as well, trying not to get pulled in by anything else.

By the time the two had reached the path to the cave the lights had turned on, penetrating the growing darkness.  
This wasn't the case when it came to the path. It was just dirt and grass and nature trimmed to make walking easier. They hadn't put any sort of light on it because they hadn't intended for it to be walked on during the night.  
Trish kept going, pausing to turn back to Remmy and motioning for him to follow.

"You know we won't be able to see out there."

"So?" Trish turned his back towards Remmy.

"Can't we do this tomorrow?" Remmy whined, making a pleading face at Trish.

The shroomish merely shook his head and started walking, Remmy reluctantly following behind him, complaining all the way. The path was eerily silent as they walked along it, the dark furthering the sensation even when their eyes had adjusted. Neither of them had night vision built into them, unlike some 'mons that were more adjusted for the night time and this led to more than a few tumbles to the ground. The ground wasn't soft either, which led to equally frustrating scrapes, and by the time the two stopped walking they had a decent coating of dirt on them.

"There."

Trish pointed at a cabin, half covered by plant life, and only just visible in the dim light the moon cast. Remmy complied eagerly, the thoughts of light, food and relaxing armchairs dancing through his head. Trish stepped up to the door, knocking gently on the old wood and stepping back as it creaked open.

A friendly face popped out to greet them, all smiles and joy when it got a good look at theirs.

"Why if it isn't good ol' Remmy and Trish! Haven't seen you two in ages."

The older person stepped back, opening the door up for the two to come in, grey sweatered arms spread wide. There were two other people in the room, seated at a stained, scarred old table, a game of cards abandoned in the middle of it. The door was locked behind Remmy and Trish, before their enthusiastic friend ushered them towards the table, seating themselves at it as well.

"You don't know how great it is to see you guys. You never come around Rustboro anymore. You know you two could pay a visit sometimes, say hi to an old friend and let them know how you're doing."

They paused In their rambles for a moment, glancing at one of the two strangers at the table. (This one, a very blue man, a heavy coat, white fluff lining the hood, hanging on their body despite the mugginess and heat outside even during the night.)  
The man kept giving Remmy nervous glances, looking from his hands, and the cards on the table, back to Remmy.

"But you're here for business aren't you?" Their friend looked at the two straight on, eyes a little sad at the prospect of not being able to hang out.

"Yeah. Sorry Cosmos," Trish mumbled, his gaze directed towards the ceiling.

"Aren't you supposed to have somebody watching the cave?" He added, his eyes snapping back towards Cosmos.

"We do, we do. Don't _worry_ so much. It isn't good for you, you know. The other two are out there right now."

Cosmos grinned a little, as if remembering something pleasant, before abruptly standing up out of their chair and placing a hand on the shoulders of the other two people at the table.

"This here is Souma. He's a little bit shy. Don't know if that's a norm for Froakie or not, but just give the guy some time and he'll stop staring so much and get to talking." Cosmos pointedly ruffled the blue man's hair, as if attempting to reassure him.

"This other kid here is Nadine. She's a Treecko, and a wicked fast one at that."

"I'm an _Adult._ " Nadine retorted, her intense gaze clashing with the laughter dancing in her yellow eyes.

She couldn't keep it contained either, because mere moments later she burst into a fit of laughter, face pressed Into the table as a result. A little nervous laugh erupted from Souma before he went quiet again, shuffling through a handful of cards he'd grabbed from the table rapidly.  
Cosmos was soon swept into the laughter as well, and by the time the group had begun telling stories Remmy had joined in too. Trish stood away from the laughing group, an irritated expression growing on his face.

Hands slammed down on the table loudly, and everyone was silenced, staring up at Trish in surprise.  
Satisfied that they were going to keep quiet for the moment, Trish sat down.

"Cosmos, can you tell me _anything_ about this thief you've been observing?"

The magnemite looked at Trish, running one hand through their greying hair awkwardly, before glancing at Souma and Nadine. They seemed to take the hint, and Nadine leaned forward onto the table, a half-serious expression planted on her face.

"We've only been watching him since this morning, but he holed himself up inside a cave nearby and he hasn't come out since then. Has a case about this big."

She raised her hands, a wide gap of space between the two to emphasize how big it was.

"Can't get out of the place through the other end. There was a rock slide a few months back and the only gap isn't big enough for him to fit into."

Trish nodded at this, looking a little less angry and stressed out than before. Nadine leaned back into her chair, yawning as she did so.

"The other two are out there watching it right now. Cosmos gets the next shift, and then it goes back to us, so I think it's about time we get some rest."

"Could we head out there now?" Trish asked, Remmy groaning at his words.

"If you think you two're up to it."

With that Trish thanked the three, grabbed up Remmy and headed out the door, only stopping to ask Nadine which way he should go. The cave was only five minutes away, and so the two arrived in front of it shortly, staring into the entrance. There was a very faint light coming from the cave, which at least meant that they wouldn't be in total darkness. Trish made a point to tell Remmy to be quiet, before they stepped inside.  
The cave wasn't an amazingly impressive cave. It was just an ordinary little cave that led one way, no twists or turns or extra rooms which was probably why it had once connected Rustboro and verdanturf, back before the rock slide had cut off the path.

Officially it was known as rusturf tunnel, though most people who lived nearby referred to it as the whismur cave due to the tales of ancient colonies of whismur once living in them. There were all sorts of rumors about them, though how much of it was true wasn't certain. It certainly didn't look like anything special though, at least in Remmy's eyes. If the rock slide hadn't happened you could probably reach verdanturf in ten minutes, since the cave wasn't overly long.  
Trish was making a conscious effort to not make noise when he walked across the cave, getting closer and closer to the light. They could hear voices too as they neared the light and an ominous sound that made both of them freeze.

A figure stepped into view, the same man from the woods, a small girl with a gun to her head held by one arm.  
He was radiating with fear, his eyes darting all around and that made him all the more dangerous.

"I've been found then. Didn't do a good enough job did I?" He laughed, tightening his grip on the child.

"Must've been the kid, she must've had somethin' on her."

Neither Remmy or Trish made any attempt to move or speak, too scared that the gun would go off and a innocent child would die. This was not the man they had seen in the woods. No, this was a cornered animal lashing out at everything that came near. Something that would do everything in its power to get away.  
He had gone silent now, staring at the two with a fierce intensity in his eyes; studying them thoroughly.

"So what are you?" The man gestured with his gun, pointing it at Trish, and back to the girl. "Those government people?"

Trish shook his head and the man's expression became confused.

"You couldn't be anything else though. Nobody else chases after people like that. Only the government kills people who didn't do wrong."

Remmy vaguely wondered if the man was stupid though he certainly wasn't going to voice his opinions. Trish was the one who did.

"What do you call what you're doing then?"

The man paused, cocked his head and looked at Trish in confusion.

"I'm only doing what's necessary to make the world a better place."

"How?" Trish's voice was strong and calm, enough to get the man's attention.

"That's what it's all for. You wouldn't tell somebody they were bad for trying to make everything better would you?  
No, no this is all to give us a _chance_. A real proper one you see." He smiled to himself, closed his eyes as he became caught up in the thoughts and the words.

Trish moved forward a little, very very slowly, freezing when the man opened his mouth up again.

"Not everybody understands that you see. Not even everybody who's working towards it. Do you?" His eyes opened and the crazed man stared straight at Trish, utter sincerity flowing from his gaze.

He believed what he was saying-wasn't putting on some act, or spouting randomness out of fear. He truly utterly believed every word of it. Trish nodded, letting him know he agreed with what he was saying. Trying to get closer. Trying to get everybody out of this cave alive. If that meant he had to pretend he believed whatever nonsense the man was spouting, then Remmy knew Trish would go along with it. It was better to pretend then to let somebody die. They both knew that. So Remmy remained quiet and let Trish do all the talking. Watched as he weaved his way around the man, nodding and adding little 'yeah's' and 'you are so right's' snaking closer and closer.

And the man kept talking, dropped his guard maybe because he couldn't think Trish'd do anything if he believed what he did. Whatever the reason it was working and Trish was in front of the man-still careful-but acting casually around the man, coaxing him to let go of the girl (after all it wouldn't do good to get somebody to stop you from saving the world because of a kid now would it?)  
The moment the girl was safely away Trish dove his elbow down into the mans ribs, forcing him onto his knees in pain, the gun scattered across the ground. He was too focused on the pain to stop Trish from tying his wrists up to drag him back to the cabin and very shortly the two were headed out, one terrified girl clinging to Remmy's arm with a death grip, and one sobbing man trying desperately to resist his capture.


	9. Chapter 8

Remmy sighed, breathed into the hands cupped over his face. Relieved that the recovery mission went well but terrified of the one to come. Because if the _easy_ one hadn't been that easy, then he could only imagine how this one would turn out. Even if he'd known it would be hard from the start, back before it had ever been assigned to him. He was terrified because he knew if he messed up they would die. He'd heard of what they did to people too. Heard of corpses hung up for the world to see, to remind them that _this is what happens to rebels. This is what happens when you defy us._

The world had probably gone to hell long ago, and everybody had just forgotten it because that was better then realizing how _bad_ it really was, every single day.  
So they pretended, and focused on the good things they could do over the bad things that were happening.  
Like how everybody else focused on the fact that they had gotten the man and the stolen items back, over the fact that he had gone into absolute silence, and they had a little girl in their custody who was too terrified to tell them where she lived.

He'd been sitting and thinking like this for almost an hour, avoiding looking at the file on the table in front of him. He'd barely touched the cup of coffee he'd made either, now cold from sitting around too long. Aside from him and Wally, everybody else was still at the headquarters, leaving Remmy to read up on Roxanne. The whole ordeal made him desperately want a drink and some sleep. But he couldn't do either of those things at the moment, and he didn't want Trish to get upset so he went back to staring at the file for several long minutes.

He breathed sharply, took a sip of his cold coffee with a grimace, and reached out to open the file. A photo of the woman encased inside, multiple sheets of neat printed papers cleanly attached to the file through rings. She was twenty-five. That was the first thing that popped out at him, and he knew it wasn't that bad because there were even _kids_ as bad her, but she was _young_. She was young, and she was the leader of a child smuggling ring. She was only twenty-five and she was believed to have murdered at least twelve people. She was twenty-five and she could get away with anything.

And so Remmy pored over her file intently, reading every little word inside, pausing only when Wally placed a plate of food In front of him. He hadn't even been aware that Wally had gotten up but both he and his stomach agreed that it was about time for some food. He realized, as he dug into his food, that Wally knew how to cook. Not the kind of cooking _he_ did that just involved making something, or tossing pre-made food inside the oven, but real good cooking. The kind that made you crave more because it just tasted that good.

"What're you working on?"

"Stuff." Remmy took another bite of his food, licking his lips clean.

"What kind of stuff?"

"Boring stuff."

"You sure?" Wally seemed dissatisfied with his answer.

" _Yes_ I'm sure. Just movin' some kids."

It wasn't really a lie, because If all went well then they _would_ be taking kids out of Roxanne's rings after they shut them down. They weren't the first priority though, as awful as that was, because bringing down Roxanne was far more important. So he smiled like everything was fine, and Wally seemed to believe it. Didn't ask anymore questions and just sat there, eating his food.  
At some point, Remmy got a call from Trish saying they were on their way home with Benedict and Digit so they'd better not have made a mess. Wally had decided to clean up the dishes while Remmy finished going through the files, placing them safely away when he was done.  
He'd only just settled himself onto the couch with a fresh cup of coffee when the sounds of squabbling reached his ears.

He grinned, sitting on his knees to look over the back of the couch as the door opened and five irritable, soaking wet people scrambled into the room. Hiroko was giving his coffee a death stare that made him reconsider bringing piping hot coffee onto such a pristine white couch. He still took a sip anyways, immediately regretting the decision when it scalded his mouth.

"Serves you right." Hiroko mumbled, a big smirk across her face.

"Remmy, could you _not_ make her mad?"

Trish looked intensely grumpy to the point that Remmy just quietly agreed. He knew when he shouldn't tease the man, and this happened to be one such time judging by how he was behaving.

"So, what've you all been doing?" Remmy placed his chin on his arms, grinning at the little group.

"Hiroko's on our team now. And her little ghost buddy too." Trish let out a groan, stomping over towards the fridge.

"I just don't get why they would pair us up together. I mean we _dated_ for gods sake. You just don't do that."

"To be fair we do make a nice team, at least in theory." Hiroko didn't seem bothered by the arrangement whatsoever, just calmly going along with it.

"Well that's not true, and you know it."

"You sure? Because I don't think either of us tried out fighting together. Sure we might have tri-"

"Don't even start." Trish cut the beedrill off, his voice laced with irritation.

"Look, we just need to make this work. That's all. So just, don't do that kind of thing. Just don't."

"Okay okay. Don't need to be so grumpy about it."

Hiroko sighed, placing herself onto the couch beside Remmy and stealing his coffee in the process. Ignoring his protests and glares at the coffee theft, she turned on the large tv in the room, settling on a movie about a drowzee serial killer. As said drowzee lifted his latest victim over the edge of a building psychically, Trish joined the couch gathering, seating himself right next to Remmy.  
Remmy felt somewhat awkward cushioned between the two. (He'd also noticed the couch was getting wet from the water dripping off of them. He'd decided not to mention that.)

Trish's foot was tapping rapidly against the ground, and Remmy didn't know if Trish was even aware of what it was doing. He just couldn't stay completely still at the moment, fidgeting constantly and Remmy wasn't entirely sure why.  
It could have had to do with being forced to work with his ex who seemed to be skilled in the art of irritating Trish, or it could have been because of the case. Hell, it could have even been because he'd gotten soaked but the man wasn't going to say which one of those It actually _was_. He wasn't concentrating on the movie either, the screams from the girl on tv trying to escape the killer drowzee not enough to draw him in, but not so boring that it drew him away. Remmy could see that in the way he was glancing around so much, because when Trish was paying attention to a movie he got sucked in and barely looked away.

Trish was just heavily distracted. Everybody seemed to be, aside from Hiroko. Chris was standing against a far wall without a word, and Benedict and Digit had disappeared before he'd even thought to say something. He was aware of what it was even if he didn't want to acknowledge it. Roxanne was like a weight in everyone's heads, too heavy to ignore. Trish shifted, glanced at him and began to open his mouth, and Remmy knew that _this_ was when it began.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

He was wearing a suit. It was fancy and new and constricting. He wasn't very fond of suits; rarely ever wore them. Remmy liked to stick to tank tops and shorts. He'd never been fond of massive amounts of clothing or anything too tight, but Roxanne's rings were mostly for the richer, and they had to dress up nicely to get into the main part. Trish and Hiroko were suited up as well, the former a baby blue suit and the latter, a red dress and tied back hair.  
It was only the three of them on the inside. Benedict was surveying the outside area, Digit was keeping an eye on any cameras, and Chris was in the lower part of the ring.

It was set up so that the children were ranked. The higher the rank the higher the price, the lowest ranking of the children being sold cheaply into labor. God knew what happened to the other kids. Somewhere he was vaguely aware that if things had been different, maybe he would have ended up here when he was little. That maybe if something had changed he wouldn't be fighting a war that seemed impossible to win.

They split up shortly after arriving, Hiroko wandering off in one direction. Trish lingered within view of Remmy, talking to the 'costumers' adorned in fancy dress. It seemed absurd to Remmy that so many people had gathered together to buy children as if it were an ordinary sort of event for the rich. As if it were some sort of everyday thing.  
He felt sick just looking at them, and he wasn't sure if this was worse then the lower rings. There they acted like the kind of person you would expect to buy human lives, but _here_ they were just normal.

There were a few people standing around that were probably security guards. Roxanne was rich enough to hire them with her dirty money, and every so often a man would lead a group of people away enthusing about the place. Remmy had heard him talking about the quality of the children for sale at one point.  
The man came for a third time, and Remmy and Trish followed after him, quieter compared to a few particularly chatty people in the group. The man pushed open a set of big wooden doors, and they stepped into hell.


	10. Chapter 9

Remmy settled into a seat beside Hiroko, foot tapping restlessly as he stared out at the empty stage. It looked like a theatre for a play owned by some rich man, but he knew better then to believe that. The man that had escorted them into the room had vanished into the shadows in the very back and in his place a man with a well-groomed beard stepped up to a podium on the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen I'm sure you're all excited to see what we have for sale." He paused, licked his lips and continued.

"Now shall we begin?"

There was a gentle round of applause, a rare whistle or two scattered about the place that earned quite a few glares from the more 'proper' people in the audience.  
The man on the stage nodded at this, then raised one arm out to gesture at the child that had been led onto the stage. She was small, bare feet dirty from the floor, her hair long and black and surprisingly clean. Her whole body radiated terror, from the quivering she tried to conceal, to the pure emotion he could see in her eyes. It killed him inside to have to sit there and watch as the man rang off prices with the voice of an auctioneer. Took every effort to not leap up and punch someone as the numbers went up and up and up until a hulk of a man was proclaimed the buyer.

Hiroko was better at it. There was only the faintest tightening of her grip from time to time to hint at her anger at the place. She seemed to be a master at concealing her emotions from the outside view and while  
you couldn't really tell just by looking at Remmy he wasn't good at it like her. There were so many many children that went onto the stage, most of them under the age of thirteen. He'd seen a few of them before on missing posters and he was far too familiar with that. He knew what made people search endlessly and ask strangers on the street if they'd seen their loved ones.

These children here were almost certainly seen as useless for anything but making money in the eyes of Roxanne. They were the kids who couldn't afford to go to school, or who chose not to. There was never any choice in the schooling system; alternate schools were illegal. You either had your child taught to become a soldier or had them be uneducated. The people who disagreed with that couldn't complain about it and it was no secret that they were the kids who were stolen away from their families, snatched right off the streets by Roxanne's subordinates.

Remmy was vaguely aware that maybe if things had been different he might have been one of the kids on that stage, or that he wouldn't be fighting a war that seemed impossible to win.  
He was here though, and he would do everything in his power to win this fight. He'd do a damn good job of it too.  
This was where it all started; where he would start to make history. For the moment that meant sitting and watching and not letting themselves get too caught up in their emotions.

If he was being honest he was more worried about Trish out of all of them. He shared the same tendency to leap into things without thinking and get caught up in his anger. Even if he was the more rational of the two it took him a hell of a lot of effort to keep calm In the face of injustice.  
Every time a child was brought out a press of bodies rose, their rising voices blending with each other and that of the man on the stage to make one piercing noise. It only made things worse.

Remmy wasn't sure how much time had passed before the last child was shuffled onto the stage, sold to some women in the back and escorted away like all the others. The bearded man hadn't stopped talking but he wasn't really listening-Trish would do that for him. He always listened even when he didn't want to.  
There was a low chatter as people begin to rise and Hiroko nudged him with her elbow, giving him a look he had no clue how to decipher.

"Did he fall asleep?"

Remmy glanced up confused for a moment before spotting a very tall woman obviously conversing with Hiroko. He quickly glanced away before she caught him looking.

"He's not really one for public events like this."

"Ah I know what you mean. My husband, he goes to sleep any chance he gets. Takes a mighty big effort to get him to places like this." The woman sighed sadly, fingers twirling one of her blonde curls.

"If you don't mind me saying, you got yourself one handsome catch there. His hair's a bit odd but he looks like a keeper."

"He is a little bit of a strange man." Hiroko grinned a little, her head nodding in agreement at the blonde's statement.

"Well we'd both best be off. I'm sure mine's going to find some trouble if I leave him alone." With that the woman walked off into the crowd leaving behind a very bewildered Remmy.

Hiroko seemed to be struggling a bit to keep a pleasant look on her face as she practically wrenched Remmy out of his seat. He was still confused as to what had just happened back there. (And really who the hell was that lady, coming up out of the blue and saying things like that?)  
Nonetheless he had a job to do, so he allowed Hiroko to lead him into the crowd that was being ushered out through a pair of doors into a hallway. It wasn't as fancy as the rest of the building, the carpeting and wood and decorations all cheaper versions of the real things.

The crowd wasn't paying any attention to the two when they drifted away from the group at a split in the hallway. A very real turn towards a better future or their own deaths. Once they were out of sight Hiroko dropped his arm and her mask, her face so furious he felt as if she could stab him with her eyes. As it was he was mildly worried for his own safety let alone any unfortunate soul who happened to cross paths with the beedrill. (His poor wrist was already suffering from her wrath.)

"Open up that map thing on your watch. I'll keep an eye out for Trish."

For a moment, he stood there confused before remembering that Digit had indeed put a layout of the place on the fancy thing Devon corp had given him. He promptly pulled it up giving Hiroko a little signal when he was done. The next few minutes were spent studying the map in silence, pausing when he'd memorized it enough to unbutton the collar of his suit. He hadn't even realized quite how suffocating it had been until he'd unbuttoned it, but it was like he'd been washed over by a fresh wave of air. Hiroko was still standing in the same spot, unmoving and staring out for signs of their now late member, her red dress matching the color of the carpet.

"Ya think all rich people are like that?" He muttered, looking at the confused-and very irritated-look Hiroko was giving him.

"The lady, I mean. Y'know she was talkin' to you back there?"

"Not all rich people are like that, no. I've met a few decent ones. Don't think you'd find that sort here though." Hiroko grinned a little, turning her head back to look at him.

"I see him."

A few seconds after she said this Trish joined them in their little secluded hallway, grumbling to himself. His baby blue suit was half unbuttoned, and his hair seemed to have suffered as well from whatever he'd run into.

"I hate this place."

Remmy nodded in silent agreement, and Hiroko looked about ready to throw a toast in honor of those words.  
Instead she chose to ask the dreaded question.

"What happened?"

"Some crazy chick came up to me, started up a conversation and tried to get it on with me." Trish huffed, running one hand through his hair in an attempt to tame it.

"Did she happen to have curly blonde hair?" Hiroko mumbled, a strange look In her eyes.

"How the hell did you know that? Did you send her after me or something?"

"Of course not. No, it's just that I think she's the same woman who called Remmy a handsome catch." She paused, rubbing a hand over her face.

"If she Is then we might be in trouble. The same woman flirting with two guys who are both trying to bring this place down? Can't be a coincidence."

"She said she liked my freckles. Isn't that a strange thing to say about someone?" Trish said with a sigh.

"Well she said my hair was weird."

"It kind of is." Hiroko smiled at him, mischievous intent plastered all over her face.

"You're wrong."

"It's a Mohawk, and not a Mohawk at the same time. Like a floppy Mohawk. A flophawk. Of course it's weird."

Trish couldn't help but snort a little, which only earned a very furious glare from Remmy who seemed to be at a loss for what to say. After a few moments he stood up, pointed at the map displayed on the device and begin walking down the hallway silently. There was a unspoken agreement then and there that the three of them remain silent while they headed towards where Roxanne would likely be.

This part of the hallway was a little bit darker, less of the lights on the walls being the source of this. It obviously wasn't meant for any guests to walk along. Multiple locked doors lined the walls, metal labels identifying their purpose nailed to the top. There were a few that hadn't been locked, or that weren't labeled but for the most part these were empty. (The two guards they'd ran into in an unlocked supply closet had been promptly knocked out.)

All too soon they found themselves before Roxanne's office, where she either was or would be eventually. The door was the nicest one in the hallway, big and grand and at the very center of the dead end. Hiroko gave Remmy a confidence filled look, then opened up the door to Roxanne's lair.

She obviously had money which was evident by the fact that her _office_ looked grand enough to live in. It was large and roomy and well-decorated and right in the middle was Roxanne, sitting at her desk and staring calmly at the intruders. Her face split into a eerie grin that sent a shiver down Remmy's spine, as she stood to face them.

"Well now whatever do we have here?" She laughed once, stared down at her fingernails then turned back to look at them, her voice turning dangerously cold.

"You should all leave unless you want any _accidents_ to happen. My men don't take kindly to wandering guests."

"You can tell your men to fuck off. We aren't about to play any games with you." Hiroko was practically snarling at the other younger woman, her body radiating that she was ready for a fight.

Remmy gave Trish a glance, readying himself into a fighting stance as Roxanne sneered down at them, her fingers snapping together loudly. At her command, five bulky figures stepped out from behind a pair of large red curtains, stopping when they reached Roxanne's side. A sixth person entered, familiar blonde curls bouncing as she whispered something in the other's ear before walking back to where she'd come from.

"I _knew_ she was suspicious."

They were all silent for a moment, Remmy and Trish completely ignoring Hiroko's comment, Roxanne's men waiting for a command. And a command she did give, a wordless hand motion setting them into action.

All too soon, Remmy found himself sliding across the floor in an attempt to dodge the tall grey-haired man who had come at him.  
He was slower then Remmy had initially thought, but he still managed to catch the edge of Remmy's hip with a hard kick while he was getting up, sending him sprawling back to the ground. Remmy barely managed to roll away from the next kick that had been aimed directly for his head, before he lunged for the older man's legs, tugging him to the ground. A fist collided with his face, causing Remmy to loosen his grip with one hand, quickly retaliating by elbowing the rock type in the crotch.

He quickly dragged himself away from kicking range, ignoring the throbbing pain in his face and hip.  
He almost didn't see the rock.  
It took him a moment to realize he was lying on his back, his jaw exploding with pain so intense he could see spots. He could only just feel the blood trickling down his neck and face. There was a grunt, and loud dragging footsteps and then the man was leaning over him, hunched over from the injury he'd received earlier, lifting up one hand to finish Remmy off. He didn't get the chance.

A familiar black haired blur sent the man crashing to the ground, his head making a sickening crack as it met with the floor. There was a moment of silence, before voices started up far away and Hiroko leaned down beside him, a concerned look on her face. She was, for the most part, unharmed. Only a few bruises or scratches where an attack had met visible on her body. It was a far cry from how he felt, and apparently looked judging by the expression on her face.

He was too tired and hurt to comprehend her words at first, a confused expression trying to plant itself on his face painfully. Slowly slowly her words began to make sense, and he almost wished they hadn't because that knowledge terrified him.  
Trish was fighting Roxanne _alone._ That wasn't how this was supposed to happen.

O

Roxanne seemed a little surprised, like she hadn't expected them to be so powerful. Not scared or concerned, just _surprised_. Her face quickly melded back into a malicious grin, as she studied Trish.

"You think you can best me?" she snorted like somebody had made a joke.

"You're just some wanna-be 'hero.' That's what you call yourself after all isn't it? _Heroes._ Going to save the world from big bad Roxanne like you actually have the _power_ to do that."

She shook her head and stepped closer, Trish becoming more alert, and wary.

"No. I'm afraid you're just another one of those _weaklings._ You're just another useless person who doesn't have the power to back up your threats. See I've fought plenty of your kind and they never have any _real_ power."

"You're wrong."

"I suppose we'll see about that."

There was something in her grin that seemed almost feral. Hungry eyes sizing up her opponent, fingers clicking away on the wood of her desk as she leaned up against the edge of it. She made the first move, her hand coating itself in rocks as she lunged for his throat, grazing his skin when he dodged out of the way.  
Roxanne stopped only long enough to steady herself, then lunged at him again, this time aiming for his stomach with a now dangerously spiky hand, again falling short.

She wasn't playing games anymore. She had every intent to kill him right there, and Trish didn't think she was going to play nice. Still, she was slower then him, her speed common among rock types such as herself. She hadn't moved for the past few seconds, and neither had he. She might be slow but if he rushed in that would be giving a much better chance at getting a hit in.

Her eyes narrowed, and she lunged once more, cutting into his arm with the spiked rocky mess covering her fist. He hissed, grabbed at the other very bare arm before she get out of range and began to drain the energy right out of her. Her veins pulsated in protest and for a moment she was incapable of moving from the sudden shock of it but she quickly snapped back digging her stone covered fingers into his cheek.

With an enraged yell Trish dropped her arm like it was on fire and pushed her away violently, his hand instinctively reaching up to cover the wounded side of his face. He was pretty sure some of the scratches went all the way through. For awhile neither of them moved, too hurt and exhausted to hit back. Both just panting heavily and staring at each other with fury in their eyes.

He made the next move, surprising Roxanne momentarily before she lashed out, catching his shoulder with her claws though he ignored the new pain. And then he was behind her, one arm wrapped around her neck, the other grabbing onto the bare skin of her arm to finish draining her energy away. He didn't stop until she was unconscious, her struggling and scratching at his arm finally ceased when he let her fall to the floor.

They'd won. They'd actually god damn won and nobody was dead so far as he knew. Despite the fact that neither he or Remmy were in good shape from the looks of it, he felt like celebrating. It took him a moment to remember he needed to tie the woman up. Hiroko had taken care of that though, given him a worried glance as she passed by. All the blood that was oozing from the gashes on his face had made him start to feel faint and when he looked up there was Remmy leaned up against the desk his face twisted in agony and all bruised up.

He would be okay, Hiroko had told him. Both of them, and they'd be leaving soon once Chris and some backup arrived to get them out. He just let her pet his hair like she used to do back when they were together. Didn't even mind because it wasn't romantic, it was just soothing and he was far too hurt to care about it. Remmy let out a little whimper and her attention turned to him and Trish almost missed her touch. Almost.


End file.
